For about three years before moving into our RV, we regularly complained about our dishes. We were tired of our ten-year-old, inexpensive, drab gray, and super heavy Ikea set, but we didn’t have a good reason to replace them. They were still doing what they were designed to do, even if we were tired of looking at them. It seemed wasteful to replace dishes just because they weren’t pretty any more.
But after counting the chips and cracks in that old set, and considering the unnecessary added weight, moving into our RV was a doubly exciting time for us: time to get new dishes! (We enjoy our simple pleasures.)
After lots of research, we first decided on Corel because of their designs, weight, and durability, but we weren’t ready to commit to a pattern (or a price tag), so we looked for something inexpensive and environmentally friendly that would last until we were ready to spend the money on something for the long term.
We were pleasantly surprised to find Preserve Everyday Tableware! Preserve makes their products from 100% recycled #5 plastic. That’s polypropylene, and it’s one of the most common plastics that’s not as widely recycled as it could (and should!) be, as its used to package popular things like butter tubs, yogurt containers, and prescription pill bottles.
Preserve dishes are dishwasher safe (if you’re lucky enough to have a dishwasher), and have been tested for microwave durability, although the company states, “However, we still believe that the decision of whether or not to microwave your food in any plastic is ultimately a personal one, since there is still debate about the health risks of doing so.”
After 6 months of daily use, our dishes are still holding strong, and have even survived a few incidents with serrated knife when I thoughtlessly cut some cucumbers (I don’t recommend doing this, but the plates will survive if you do). I think these dishes are going to last us a long time. And when we’re finally ready to commit to Corel (or, more likely, when we decide to switch to a different color of the same Preserve dishes), we can give our well-used set back to Preserve (or drop it off at a Whole Foods), to be recycled into new Preserve products!
After 6 months, my only complaint is that they can be hard to get very clean after they’ve been used for an oily food. Even after washing them with copious amounts of concentrated Dawn dish soap (that’s the stuff they use to degrease the animal victims of oil spills), there will sometimes still be a thin film of oil on the dishes, and they need to be rewashed.
This is the exact set we bought: Preserve Everyday Tableware Set: Four Plates, Four Bowls and Four Cups, Midnight Blue
And look how cute they fit in our drawer!
You can also check out Preserve’s website to see all the cool products they offer!
[Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links, but we were not compensated in any way for this post. We just wanted to share our experiences with you.]